Malibu Hybrid... WHY???

Stupidity comes to mind! Same goes for the Saturn Hybrids although they do a little better than 2mpg above their standard counterparts. Maybe they just want to buy American. More than likely they just don't know any better and its up to us to teach them and bring them from the darkness they know not!! Wow got lost there for a moment! LOL

 

As part of that, if you look at the options for that car, there are almost none, literally almost none, you basically get a stripped down Malibu, get only a couple of MPG better, and pay a lot, for nothing.

 

Perhaps this is GM's really lame attempt to manipulate people into beleiving that hybrids suck (or reinforce the opinions of those that already beleive this).:wacko:

More likely this is just GM's really lame attempt to play catch up for dropping the ball completely on the hybrid revolution.

IMHO, and based on the reviews I've read, you would have to be a complete ingnoramous to buy a Malibu hybrid (although the non-hybrid version does get really good reviews).

 

I traded UP from a Malibu to a Prius.

Malibu ain't that great to start with. Seriously. We much prefer the Prius!

 

Stupid is as stupid does. GM's problem seems to be that the supply of stupid is diminishing.

 

Well ... the article says the folks that tested the car averaged between 19mpg and 23mpg with their real-world driving tests. Kinda ironic. The industry cried "FOUL !! " when the Prius got 50mpg-60mpg so they cut off their noses to spite their faces. Seems they want to have their cake and eat it too.

On the "Positive" side the testers say it has a nice sterio. Our family talks to each other when we're in the car together . The sterio is for solo driving. Seems a great sterio would be most important for a car that was for commuting / solo driving .. like the EV1. Maybe GM DOES want the non-pure gas car to fail. Pretty weird.

 

Actually, the better question might be "Malibu... WHY?"

But this aside, I must say that if we are going to bash GM for doing only 2mpg better, someone should start a similar thread regarding some of the Toyota/Lexus offerings, like the $100K + Lexus LS 600h L embarrassment, which manages 1mpg LOWER than its gas-only twin (Environmental and Urban Economics: Does the New Hybrid Lexus drive like a Porsche and sip fuel like a Prius?)

 

Maybe because some people, such as myself, have $1500 in GM Card money. At one time, I thought I might buy a Pontiac Vibe but the other day I saw a newish one rolling by with rusty wheels. Glad I got over that thought.

I think I'll just wait for the next gen Prius and just let the GM Card money dwindle down to nothing.

~buttster

 

I sat in one at the Harrisburg, Pa. car show. I agree what a piece of junk. Interior is small and cramped. Couldn't get in without hitting my head. Never have that problem with my Prius. I thought maybe GM with a surprisingly roomy car like the Aveo is surprisingly roomy, but nooooooooo. Another dissapointment from GM.

 

Same reason anyone would buy a "hybrid" Escalade. So they can
shallowly impress their buddies how "green" their bling box
is. So the marketroids can slap a word onto a car, that's
about all there is to what they're doing.
.
_H*

 

Why? It's cheaper and not appreciably dirtier

Look, the car doesn't have to be shipped across the ocean. It doesn't have a nickel battery which has a fairly toxic manufacturing process and the mileage is not so far worse that it is ecomically significant. When you factor in the respective costs, after 60,000 miles, and at $3 per gallon, there is not a giant difference in cost and the Chevy is probably greener.

And don't get me wrong. I like my Prius. It is a good little car and it faithfully delivers 40 plus miles per gallon. Am I glad I bought it? Yes. Does it blow the doors off a new Malibu? Probably not.:brick:

 

Most of us had mothers telling us if we didn't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all. At least the reviewers were inventive enough to put the stereo down as a positive.

 

Re: Why? It's cheaper and not appreciably dirtier

Actually, it does have a NiMH battery, although it is probably much smaller than the Prius battery since it is only 36V.

At least the Prius battery allows the vehicle to minimize emissions and substantially improve the fuel economy. The Malibu battery only allows the car to have a "super-starter motor" so that they can paste a Hybrid badge on the car.

I also wonder if GM will give hybrids a bad reputation with efforts like this one.

 

I doubt that GM will be the cause of a bad reputation. And if Gm perfects a lithium ion battery that doesn't blow up before Toyota does, Katy bar the door.

 

is it performance based hybrid... like the hybrid gs?

 

Do you recon that GM asks themselves why they lost $37 BILLION last year? Failure to define value in terms of what the customer wants comes to mind. Sorry, some lean and TPS tendencies coming through. /end rant

 

Re: Why? It's cheaper and not appreciably dirtier

I think the Prius does blow the doors off that Malibu I looked at. The Prius is far roomier and more comfortable. Plus the hatchback design makes the Prius more versitle. I'm sure over time it will be much more realiable and it certainly gets better mpg's.

 

Yep. Basically... I guess it's so GM can make claims like they have the most hybrid models or that have the most models w/over 30 highway mpg (pre-08 EPA method). It also goes along w/their "from gas friendly to gas-free" slogan I guess.

LOL. Not unless you consider a net 169 hp to be "performance". 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid Review and Specs mentions that the electric motor can move the Malibu up to 3 mph alone. The review also says "Hybrids aren't expected to be quick, but with a 0-60-mph time of around 11 seconds, the Malibu is much slower than the Camry and Altima hybrids. Even the Prius is quicker."

I guess the only plus about it is that it's cheap and is eligible for a $1300 tax credit (New Energy Tax Credit for Hybrids) vs. $0 for all Toyota/Lexus hybrids now. On a side note, the Altima Hybrid is eligible for a $2350 tax credit but it's only available in 8 states.

 

The point about hybrid technology being used to enhance performance is a good one. While the Malibu hybrid certainly fails miserably in both enhanced performance and fuel economy, I have no problem with hybrid technology being used to enhance performance at the sacrifice of some fuel economy, especially if the vehicle can still maintain SULEV status.

A case in point would be the Lexus RX 400h which is a fanstistic vehicle to drive. IMO, much nicer to drive than the non-hybrid version. This is a SULEV vehicle that gets notably better mileage than the non-hybrid and the accelration on it is fantastic (due to combined ICE and traction motor set up they use).

While some may argue that this type of vehicle exists just so the affluent can feel green in their luxury cars, I say so what if the car is doing its part to help reduce dependence on oil, is SULEV compliant and brings more attention to hybrid and alternative fuel technology.